We’re always equal parts nervous and excited to hear that a great book is heading for the big screen. But we’re not too worried about DBC Pierre’s Vernon God Little, because it’s in the eminently capable hands of one Werner Herzog. The legendary German director is on board to shoot screenwriter Andrew Birkin’s adaptation of the Man Booker-winning satirical novel. Considering that Vernon God Little follows a teenage boy who finds himself on the hook as an accomplice after his best friend kills 16 school bullies and then commits suicide, Herzog’s got plenty of morally ambiguous (and potentially controversial) material to tackle.

School shootings have been a popular subject for highbrow filmmakers since the Columbine massacre, with movies such as Gus Van Sant’s Elephant and Lynne Ramsay’s We Need to Talk About Kevin reinvigorating the cultural conversation around school violence. But considering both his iconoclastic style and Vernon God Little‘s darkly comedic tone, we’re confident Herzog’s perspective will bring something entirely new and worthwhile to the topic. [via Guardian, Twitch]